Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Armed Forces' (TNI's) peacekeeping troops, who are a part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), are ready to evacuate Indonesian nationals from Lebanon.According to the head of TNI's Information Center, Major General Hariyanto, the military has prepared a contingency plan for emergencies, including evacuation.
However, the plan can only be carried out after obtaining permission from the UNIFIL Force Commander, Lieutenant General Aroldo Azàro from the Spanish Armed Forces.
"For the evacuation of refugees who are near the Israeli border, permission from the UNIFIL Force Commander must be obtained, while the withdrawal of TNI personnel is currently awaiting the decision of the UNIFIL Force Commander," Hariyanto said here on Thursday.
The TNI and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducted a technical meeting to discuss the current situation in Lebanon and the evacuation plan for Indonesian citizens.
Director of protection of Indonesian citizens and legal entities at the ministry, Judha Nugraha, informed that TNI troops in UNIFIL are ready to support the evacuation of Indonesians if the conflict between Lebanon and the Israeli military (IDF) worsens.
He said that there are currently 155 Indonesians in Lebanon, most are students or Indonesians married to locals.
The security situation in Lebanon has become increasingly tense following Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese territory since the start of this week, targeting the Hezbollah group.
According to the Lebanese authorities, around 610 people have been killed, more than two thousand civilians have been injured, and thousands of people have been displaced due to the Israeli attacks.
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The Indonesian Embassy in Beirut has issued an Alert 1 status for Indonesian citizens across Lebanon. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has also issued a travel alert advising Indonesian nationals to postpone travel to Lebanon and Israel.
To date, one thousand TNI soldiers are stationed in Lebanon with UNIFIL.
They are serving in various UNIFIL units, including the Maritime Task Force (MTF), the TNI Mechanized Battalion Task Force (INDOBATT), and the Headquarters Support Unit Task Force (FHQSU).
The soldiers have also been assigned to the Indo Force Protection Company (FPC) Task Force, the TNI Civilian Military Coordination (CIMIC) Task Force, the Military Community Outreach Unit (MCOU) Task Force, and the Level 2 Hospital Task Force.
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Most TNI soldiers who are members of UNIFIL operate on land, while the MTF Task Force carries out its duties at sea.
Regarding the escalation between Israel and Lebanon, the TNI MTF Task Force Garuda Contingent XXVIII-O/UNIFIL held an emergency situation exercise on September 10, 2024, which included a simulation of evacuation via the sea route.
Some of the training materials followed by the crew of KRI Diponegoro-365 in Lebanon also included base defense, underwater anti-sabotage, embarkation/disembarkation, and force protection.